Teaching English In Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

I began looking for volunteer trips and companies years ago in middle school (I am now 23) as I had always dreamed of having this opportunity. I found IVHQ a few years ago and have kept going back to their page and looking at the various locations and projects and finally decided to take the plunge last December. They had the cheapest cost yet still seemed to provide a ton of support and assistance as well as great reviews, which were all important to me. The project I chose, Teaching English in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, was run by another company that IVHQ partners with and although that I was hesitant at first, I found that both companies worked very well together and both equally kept in contact with me and helped me as I prepared to travel. Maximo Nivel was the partner company who runs projects in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Peru and they do a wonderful job. IVHQ was involved with everything and supported me up until I departed and then Maximo took over, yet IVHQ still checked in throughout the trip and I felt that between the both of them, I had as much support as needed, and had someone to call no matter what. From the moment I was picked up at the airport, to my first night at a host family in San Jose, and then finally my transfer to Manuel Antonio the following day, I felt safe and secure and I was with other volunteers who ended up becoming my host family and some really great friends. The project was very basic as far as the supplies and the setup, it was located in a community building as a part of the church and the room was very basic having only tables, chairs and a white board with some markers, but what else do you need with imagination? Classes were held from 3-4:30 for the children whose ages ranged from 4 to 10 and then adult classes were from 4:30-6 and we ended up splitting the adult group in half for beginners and intermediate students. This project did require a decent amount of planning due to the lack of a curriculum or established lessons, but it wasn't difficult since the local team works with you and has many resources for you to use. Overall, the best part of the experience was seeing how much of an impact you have on your students, helping them do better at work, get better grade sin school, get into college and feel confident when speaking with the large amount of visitors from all over the world. Plus, every morning and weekend were our free time and we did so much, such as visiting La Fortuna/Arenal in the north part of the country, touring Manuel Antonio National Park, taking catamaran cruises to local islands off the coast, and really becoming locals exploring the town and finding our favorite spots. Overall, it was an amazing few weeks and I cried as the plane took off to head home because part of my heart will always be left with the people of Costa Rica, although I was excited to be in the world of air conditioning again! :)